Complexities of rail refund system leave millions unclaimed
If you've been delayed, it's already costs you time. So to then have to take yet more time to work how to claim leads to resentment.
Caught up in all the complexities and inconsistencies of the rail refund schemes are millions of disrupted travellers who simply give up and never bother to claim.
Latest figures show 47 million journeys cancelled or late in one year
But consumer group Which? found only around a third of delayed passengers made a claim
And only around one in five mystery shoppers got full compensation information when they inquired at stations
There could be a single straightforward system but there isn't. Train firms could even make refunds automatically but they don’t - with only two exceptions.
The train firms concede there is more they could do and they say they will do more in future.
They also point out that the amount paid to passengers has more than doubled in the last two years to £25.6 million. They say there has been a 12% increase in customer claims.
But nobody is denying millions is going unclaimed
And all this could become even more relevant in the next few days.
There are 500 engineering works across Britain's railways this Christmas - including station facilities, platforms, tracks, junctions. Twenty thousand Network Rail workers will be out.
They say 95% of the network will be unaffected...but that may not be much comfort if you find yourself on the 5% that is.